Several chefs have an answer: take the squash deliciously upscale. Put it in Thai curries, elegant salads and basil-flecked gratins.

At Palo Alto, Calif.'s Bistro Elan, Ambjorn Lindskog bakes thinly sliced green and yellow squashes in a ring mold, mixing in a little Gruyere and a dab of pesto or salsa verde for added flavor. Sprinkle in fresh herbs or bread crumbs, tossed in browned, melted butter. Just don't overpower the zucchini, he says, "You want it to be a zucchini, not something else."

Zucchini also makes a marvelous base for salads. Lindskog sautes paper thin slices with garlic, then mixes them with corn kernels and fresh fava or cranberry beans. Dress the mixture with shallots, olive oil and lemon juice, and serve it at room temperature, perhaps with a little pancetta.

"That," he says, "could be a nice little salad."

Farina Kingsley has some ideas for raising zucchini's profile. The co-author of "Organic Marin," a new cookbook that celebrates Marin's farmers and chefs, slices zucchini into delicate ribbons, and then tosses it with a lemony vinaigrette, fresh tomatoes, feta and olives. She also suggests trying other combinations, such as baby arugula and shaved Parmesan.

Kingsley's green shrimp and zucchini curry takes just 20 minutes to prepare, and her zucchini chips, coated with a light panko and Parmesan crumb, can be either a grab-and-go snack, or a side dish served with grilled fish or steak.

She cooks zucchini slowly, thinly sliced, in a little olive oil, then lavishes fresh herbs over the surface.

"The zucchini gets golden," she says, "and the more you cook it, the more its real flavor comes out. I put a shower of herbs on it and lots of other little things -- a little Parmesan, dabs of goat cheese, crisped bread crumbs to give it a little bit of a crunch. I make it all the time without even looking at a recipe, and serve it with a yogurt sauce with garlic and dill."

GREEN CURRY SHRIMP WITH ZUCCHINI

1 tablespoon green curry paste

3 garlic cloves

2 cups coconut milk

4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

4 tablespoons corn oil, divided

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

3 cups zucchini or yellow squash, cut in 1��4-inch half rounds

11��2 pounds prawns, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons Thai or Italian basil leaves, thinly sliced

Steamed rice, for serving

In a blender or food processor, mix 2 tablespoons of water, the green curry paste and garlic, and blend until smooth.

Heat a large saute pan until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons oil and saute shallots until translucent, one minute. Add the zucchini and stir-fry until the squash just browns, five to seven minutes. Transfer the shallots and zucchini to a bowl. Reheat the same pan and add 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the curry paste for several seconds. Stir in the coconut milk mixture and simmer for five minutes. Right before serving, stir in the shrimp and basil and cook until the shrimp turns just opaque. Stir in the zucchini and serve warm with rice. Serves six.

Lightly grease four small molds or mousse cups. Toss the zucchini with the shallots, cheese and pesto. Layer the zucchini slices into the molds in a spiral pattern, pressing them gently into place. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then invert onto a serving plate (or place a mousse cup on each plate). Serves four.